Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Israel, is a popular tourist destination. Built by Herod the Great, it was later taken over by Jewish rebels and besieged by the Romans. The rebels committed mass suicide, and the site was rediscovered in the mid-19th century. Today, tourists can explore the ruins and artifacts, and an on-site museum provides a detailed history. Israeli soldiers take an oath at the site to protect the modern state of Israel, reflecting its status as the last bastion of Jewish resistance against the Romans.
Masada is a group of palaces and ruins in Israel. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been since 2001. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Israel outside of Jerusalem.
The site is built on the edge of the Judean Desert, atop a huge mesa, overlooking the Dead Sea and offering a clear, unobstructed view for many miles. Herod the Great is credited with the fortification of Masada towards the end of the 1st century BC He is said to have built the walls and palace to hide in, in case of a massive uprising, which became more and more of a possibility every year.
Despite this, a group of Jewish rebels called the Sicarii defeated the small number of Roman troops defending Masada and took control of it. The Sicarii held it for over a century and it eventually became a refuge for Sicarii who were driven out of Jerusalem by another group of Jewish rebels, the Zealots.
Towards the end of the 1st century, the Roman governor of Judea finally decided to take back Masada. The Romans first tried to breach the walls, but when that failed, they built a huge assault ramp. Thousands of tons of earth were removed over the course of nearly three months.
When the Romans finally breached the walls, they found the structures ablaze and all the inhabitants dead. Instead of being captured, the Sicari had committed suicide en masse. A history of Josephus states that, rather than any man or woman killing themselves, they cast lots and killed each other, to avoid the ban on suicide. It should be noted, however, that aspects of the siege’s history are obscure at best, and while it is certain that the Romans besieged the fort and captured it from the Sicarii, almost everything else comes from questionable histories.
In the mid-19th century Masada was rediscovered by the modern world and identified as the site of the siege given in the history of Josephus. In the early 1919s Israeli archaeologists began excavating the region and work continues on the site. Cable cars were eventually added to the site, to allow tourists to access it without having to climb the rather strenuous snake trail from below.
Masada offers an excellent opportunity to experience firsthand the location of a famous telling of Jewish history. Despite its relatively isolated location, significant numbers of tourists visit the site each year, exploring the ruins, climbing over the same wall used by the Romans to storm the fortress, and perusing historical artifacts. An on-site museum has also been available since 2007, displaying some particularly interesting artefacts and providing a detailed history of the site.
There is also an oath taken by some Israeli soldiers at the site: “Masada will not fall again.” This expresses a commitment to protect the modern state of Israel, reflecting the site’s popular status as the last bastion of Jewish resistance against the Romans. Though largely forgotten for centuries, in the 1920s a famous Jewish poet, Isaac Lamdan, wrote an epic poem entitled Masada, which gave an emotional account of the struggle.
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